Hyperdimension Neptunia: Green Brother
by TheBilliantOne
Summary: Taking place during the events of Re;Birth 2, Vert's little brother and CPU Candidate of Leanbox, Excel had been missing her sister for over 3 years now, ever since she was imprisoned at the Gamindustri Graveyard. Now that he heard that his fellow CPU Candidate, Nepgear is on a mission to save her, he wants to do his part in assisting her in her crusade.
1. Chapter 1

**Quick note: This will be based on the remake rather than the original version of the game. I want you to know that in case you get confused over anything you didn't notice. Anyway, this fic will take place after the event where Nepgear's party meet Chika, who's actually Underling in disguise. Also, the script will be heavily borrowed from the game, but some bits will be changed and altered. For example, rather than meeting Uni in Leanbox, the group will meet Excel instead. Enjoy!**

_Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune, had currently been on a mission, traveling Gamindustri to find the mascots of the four nations, hoping to rescue her sister and the 3 other CPU's from ASIC, who had captured them 3 years ago. And with the help of her friends, Compa, IF, as well as 2 other girls she encountered in her travels earlier, Red and Broccoli, Nepgear and her party had arrived at Leanbox, currently investigating the odd actions of the Leanbox oracle, Chika Honozaki, attempting to find information from her regarding the whereabouts of the mascot._

"Getting info now would be like a dream come true." _IF said._ "How can we learn anything without a single lead?"

"I know, right?" _Compa replied._ "Asking people about Chika willy-nilly makes us look super fishy."

"Do we know anyone who can help us out?" _Red asked._

"Help us, huh?" _Nepgear responded._ "That would be convenient, but I'm not even sure who the CPU Candidate of Leanbox is."

_As the group pondered this, Excel, the male CPU Candidate of Leanbox, the only male CPU in all of Gamindustri, and Vert's younger brother walked past them, not noticing them, instead playing some random game on a mobile device. As he walked by them, he mumbled to himself, regarding Vert's disappearance._

"Man, I really miss Vert." _He said._ "Can't believe big sis has have been kidnapped by those ASIC guys for over 3 years now. Good thing I'm still around to look after this place, I guess, but dude... I'm falling apart on the inside over here."

_This caught the attention of Nepgear, who overheard Excel referring to Vert as his big sis, and addressed the blonde boy._

"Um, excuse me, sir. But are you the CPU Candidate of Leanbox by any chance?"

_Having heard Nepgear call out to him, Excel turned around and saw Nepgear, as well as the others, and his eyes widened in shock upon seeing her. Nepgear was a bit worried by his shocked expression._

"Huh? What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" _Nepgear asked worriedly._

_Completely starstruck over meeting Nepgear, he stammered his words, because he had no idea what to say to her._

"Um... What-what are you doing . . .? Hey! Uh, I'm-Im-I'm Excel. CPU Candidate of uh, Leanbox." _He said, shocked and excited to see Nepgear._

"Nepgear!" _She replied happily._ "I never knew there was a male CPU Candidate."

"Um, I'm like, the uh, first of those types of CPU's. But uh, what are . . .what are you-what are you-what are you doing here?" _Excel stammered._

"We're here to find the mascot of Leanbox, and to investigate the actions of your Oracle, Chika." _IF answered._

"Holy cow, you know Chika?" _Excel asked excitedly, not really asking the others, but more or less asking just Nepgear._

"Yep. There's something fishy going on with her though." _Compa answered._

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me, have you seen her recently? She's been acting weird for the past few days and I didn't see her earlier when I went to the basilicom earlier for a snack and to charge my phone." _Excel answered, beginning to ramble._ "I mean, it ain't like her to leave the basilicom. Vert, sure. She does it all the time when there's justice to be done or monsters to go fight. Me, also sure. Cause I mean, I'm out here talking to you right now. She doesn't let me go with her to fight monsters though, I just go out and buy myself some cool stuff. But not Chika. She's always in the basilicom 24/7. I'm just saying, something's up with her today."

_This caught IF's attention, who now believed Chika was behaving even more suspicious than before._

"Even the candidate himself is talking about that Oracle." IF responded. "She went from sketchy to full-blown modern art."

"Yeah." _Excel said in agreement._ "Gotta say, I knew something was weird about Chika since she green-lit the policy allowing ASIC freedom to thrive here. I mean, I don't make the policies here usually, Vert does. But I'm not really good with that sorta stuff, so I said Chika could do it. Man, it's no wonder there's no faith left in us CPU's. Also, I think modern art is cool."

"That sounds serious..." _Compa responded worriedly._

"Yeah, it really is. But hey, least I'm still around." _Excel responded. He then turned his attention to Nepgear._

"Also, I gotta get this off my chest. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Nepgear, CPU Candidate of Planeptune, right?"

"Um, yes?" _Nepgear answered, a bit confused._

"Can I just say, it's an absolute honor to meet you! You're like, my hero and everything! I look up to you! Oh, and your sister too!"

"Eh? Y-You're a fan of me?" _Nepgear asked in response, blushing a bit over meeting someone who idolizes her, and the CPU Candidate of Leanbox no less._

"Yeah! By the way, I heard you knew Vert too? Is she still stuck at the Gamindustri Graveyard?" _Excel asked with slightly worried tone._

"Yes. I'm trying my best to save her, and the other CPU's too." _Nepgear answered._

"Awesome! That's why I love you so much, Nepgear! You're so cool and brave!"

"O-Oh... Um, thanks!" _Nepgear responded, giggling slightly over the praise she was getting._

"She thanked me!" _He squeed in response._

"So do you know where Chika is right now?" _IF asked._

"No. Wait Nepgear, who are these girls again? I haven't been introduced properly, I don't think." _Excel asked._

"Oh! This is IF, Compa, Broccoli and Red." _Nepgear answered._

"What's up, nyu?" _Broccoli greeted._

"I can't make him my wifey..." _Red pouted._

"Hullo! Good to meet you guys!" _Excel said, greeting the other girls._ "So how do you all know Nepgear?"

"Iffy and I are best buds with her and Nep-Nep!" _Compa said._

"And she's my wifey!" _Red added._

"I just followed them, nyu." _Broccoli said._

"Okay."_ Excel replied._

"So what were you doing out here before we found you, nyu?" _Broccoli asked._

"Well, I was screwing around on my phone, playing some cool apps on there, and checking out my Chirper. I was also looking to find that Underling girl that's been snooping around the place to see if she had Chika holed up someplace. Why? Are you girls gonna help me out?" _Excel asked, a bit excited, since that meant he'd have Nepgear teaming up with him._

"Of course! Anything to rescue our sisters!" _Nepgear answered happily._

"Alright! This is awesome!" _Excel cheered, excited over getting to team with Nepgear._ "I know the way around this place, so if any of you get lost or anything, I'll lead the way. Sound good? Alright, let's do this!"

_He went ahead to his next destination, and the others followed him._

"He seems really nice." _Nepgear said._

"Yeah, but he seems a bit annoying." _IF admitted._ "Not in a bad way though. Like you said, he's still a pretty nice guy. He actually seems pretty endearing too, given his enthusiasm."

"How come he likes Ge-Ge so much though?" _Compa asked curiously._

"I don't know. Hehe..." _Nepgear giggled in embarrassment over meeting someone who's a massive fanatic over her._

_After a while of walking, Nepgear's party with Excel in tow, took a short break._

"We just need one more solid piece of information to make our case..." _IF said._

"S-Still, we can't say for certain that Miss Chika is in the wrong, can we?" _Nepgear asked._

"I don't know, Boss. It just feels weird, you know?" _Excel responded._

"D-Did you just call me Boss?" _Nepgear asked in a confused tone._

"Yeah! You're the one in charge, right? Not here, I mean. I mean, I'm technically in charge, but in Planeptune, and your crusade to save our sisters overall, I mean. You get what I mean, right?"

"Um... Can you please just call me Nepgear instead?" _Nepgear asked politely._

"Oh, uh, sure thing, Nepgear!" _Excel complied._

"But Miss Chika isn't even around to see how bad things are..." _Compa said sadly._

"I'm around!" _Excel replied, raising his hand._

"But what have you really done in Vert's absence?" _IF asked._ "Apart from Gear, most of the other CPU Candidates have been fighting among themselves to get shares."

"Oh, I don't really care about the whole share war they got going on." _Excel admitted._ "Besides, I don't have any real reason to go after the other Candidates just to take shares from their nations. They're all my heroes anyway and I respect them all."

"You're a fan of the other 3 Candidates too?" _IF asked, surprised how much of a fanboy Excel was not just to Nepgear, but presumably all the CPU's._

"Yeah, dude!" _Excel answered._ "They're all awesome! Nepgear's awesome too! I pretty much idolize all the CPU's. Kind of ironic considering I'm a CPU, myself, am I right? Also, I think Nepgear's one of the coolest people I've ever met!"

"Hehe... Thanks for the praise, but it's not really that necessary." _Nepgear said._

"Sorry, I'm just excited." _Excel replied over hanging out with you._ "But to answer your question, ever since Vert went missing, I usually do what I usually did when she was around. I play a lot of video games, fool around of Chirper, watch some movies on our TV, go to 5pb concerts, and not much else. Hey, any of you girls play shooters?"

"No." _All the girls replied._

"Okay."_ He answered back._

"You're a gamer. Just like Vert..." _Nepgear said, noticing Excel's passion for gaming is shared with his sister._

"Hi, everyone! Listen to my song!" _A mysterious voice said, followed by the sound of a crowd cheering. Excel's face lit up in excitement, but the others were all confused._

"Huh? Where'd that come from?" _IF asked._

"Holy crap! That was 5pb! She must be doing another street concert! Like, right now, dude!" _Excel answered in an excited tone._

"Whoa, a street concert! We're gonna watch, okay!?" _Red responded, also in an excited tone as she and Excel high fived in excitement._

"But there's no time for-" _IF said, before being cut off by Excel._

"Hold up! It's IF, right?" _He asked._

"Yeah?" _She answered._

"Okay, IF, here's the thing. There's always time for a 5pb concert. There's never no time for such a thing." _Excel enthusiastically responded. The others all went to the concert, except for IF and Compa._

"Ugh, well, not like we have any more leads at the moment." _IF said, as she followed the others._

"Knowing when to rest is very important for your health." _Compa responded. She followed the others and was flanked by IF._

_Eventually, the group made it to the concert, where 5pb was currently making a speech._

"Thank you all for coming today! You've given me the energy I need to sing my heart out!" _5pb said to the audience._ "This next song is my personal favorite, so I hope you'll enjoy it!"

_5pb then sung her next song. As she sang, Nepgear and her party commented on the performance._

"It's a very catchy song." _Nepgear said._

"Yep. Everyone is staying quiet and listening to her voice." _Compa said in response._

"I know, right? There's a reason why everyone loves 5pb." _Excel said in agreement._

"Hard to believe this is the same Leanbox that's being overrun by ASIC." _IF commented._

"Well, whenever 5pb does one of these concerts, it makes us all feel relaxed. We're away from it all. These concerts are real and authentic. And also, it's a cool place to listen to some outlandish music too." _Excel explained._

_Elsewhere, Underling was in the same area Nepgear's party was before going to the concert._

"Dammit!" _She said annoyed._ "My shoulders are still really sore... Idiots, making me do all the heavy lifting... And what's all this racket!? Futzing around and playing that garbage noise at a time like this..."

_She soon changed her tone and thought of an idea._

"Hmph. Maybe I'll use this concert to let off some steam. This hellhole has brought nothing but misery." _She declared._

_Back at the concert, Nepgear's party was still commentating on 5pb's performance._

"Oooh, this song's cool too!" _Red said._ "Could this be...love? Yep, she's gonna be my wifey."

_ Suddenly, IF was distracted by something._

"Huh? Hey, I just saw something." _She said._

"What's up, Iffy?" _Compa asked._

"Ugh. Just when I was about to relax. I can't unsee it, so I guess I have to address it..."

_IF suddenly walked off somewhere, confusing Nepgear._

"Oh, where are you going? The concert isn't over yet..." Nepgear asked.

"Let's keep our energy up!" _5pb announced._ "Time for the next song!" _Excel responded to this by cheering like an annoying fanboy._

_Suddenly, Underling appeared at the concert, with evil intentions._

"Hehehe... I'll silence this dumb broad's voice for sure." _Underling declared._ "I can't wait to see those bimbos' faces..."

_But thankfully, IF overheard what she said and confronted her._

"Gee, so sorry for being a bimbo." _She responded sarcastically._

"What? Oh, are you serious!?" _Underling responded angrily._ "What are you idiots doing here?"

_The others soon joined IF in confronting her, including Excel._

"How dare you try and trample my wifey candidate's concert!" _Red said angrily._ "No escape for you today!"

"And you owe me an Oracle too, you jerkwad! You suck!" _Excel said also in an angry manner, but not really aggressively._

"Not my day, is it?" _Underling responded annoyed._ "I don't have time for this crap. See ya, twerps!"

_She ran away again, angering Red._

"Hey! I said no escaping!"

_As she tried to escape, Underling had difficulty doing so as she was stuck in the middle of the crowd._

"Move it, dumbasses! Out of my way!" _She said rudely as she tried to push through the crowd._

"Whoa, what's your deal?" _One audience member said._

"Don't push so hard! Owwy!" _Another member said._

_While this was happening, Nepgear and her party also tried to move through the crowd._

"I'm so sorry. Please let us by. Um, please let us through..." _Nepgear said politely but nervously._

"So many fleshy bodies squeezing up against mine..." _Compa said._ "It's like a giant wall of human pudding..."

"You'll get used to it eventually." _Excel said._ "That's the thing about packed concerts. It's like a rave or a mosh pit."

_Suddenly, Cave arrived to try and solve the situation._

"Is something amiss over here?"_ She said._ "Has someone else come to try and sabotage the performance?"

_Hearing Cave's voice, Excel looked over at her and greeted her._

"Hey, man! What's up, Cave?" _He said, waving at her._

"Cave?" _Nepgear said in a surprised tone._ "Why are you here?"

_Hearing Excel and Nepgear's voices caught her attention, as she spoke to the group._

"Oh, it's you, Excel. And you girls too. Were you all trying to disrupt the concert?"_ She said suspiciously._

"Whoa, no way! Why would I wanna disrupt a concert?" _Excel said defensively._ "I mean, this is my nation. Well, technically, it's Vert's, but until she's saved from the Gamindustri Graveyard, I'm like, the acting CPU in a way... Sorta."

_IF pointed out the real culprit, Underling._

"That's the one causing trouble!" _She said angrily._ "We're just trying to catch her!"

"I see." _Cave responded._ "Leave the chasing to me. Calm down and stop making a scene."

_Cave proceeded to give chase to Underling to stop her schemes._

"Whoa, look at that." _Red commented._ "She's quick on her footsies."

"She should be knocking into others." _Broccoli said._ "Her model must have a really thin box for hit detection, nyu." _She added, breaking the fourth wall in the process._

"She seems used to dodging stuff." _IF said._ "May as well leave it to her, just as she suggested."

"I agree!" _Excel said._ "Besides, Cave's really cool. She knows me too, dude. She looks like a badass, but she's actually really nice, and bought me a churro once..."

"You seem to like talking a lot, Excel." _Nepgear said in response._

"Oh yeah, I am pretty mouthy, ain't I? I love to talk about anything. I'd also love to talk to you about all sorts of stuff, Nepgear. We're pals, right?" _Excel said excitedly, fanboying over Nepgear yet again._

"Um... I don't know you that much, but so far, you're the only CPU Candidate I've met who hasn't been hostile towards me, so I guess we can be friends." _Nepgear replied politely._

"Yes! Beautiful! This is so beautiful!" _Excel responded happily, even hugging Nepgear. She blushed at this, not expecting a hug from the boy._

_After the song ended, 5pb addressed the audience yet again._

"Thank you so much, everyone!" _She said happily_. "I love you all!"

"I love you too!" _Excel yelled from the audience, cheering wildly, as did the rest of the audience._

"Aww, the concert's over." _Red pouted._ "Thanks to Underling, I missed a good number of her songs..."

"Aw, crap!" _Excel pouted._ "This is why we can't have nice things."

"Oh. Were you able to apprehend the evildoer, Cave?" _Nepgear asked._

"My apologies. She outmaneuvered me." _Cave answered in a defeated tone._

"Aw, doubly crap!" _Excel said._

"Wow. Well it is what it is." _IF said._ "She's really showing off her unrivaled skills of running away."

"Why, yes! Miss Underling has been getting in our way quite often." _Compa said._

"Lowee was nearly destroyed because of Underling, nyu." _Broccoli added._

"Underling... Is that her official, legal name?" _Cave asked._

"I dunno!" _Excel answered._

"Yeah, it is." _Red also answered._

"Yes, definitely." _Nepgear said._

"Oh... Okay, it is her legal name then." _Excel said._

"I see. So this Underling character came from Leanbox to Lowee..." _Cave said._

"She has? Oh man, has she targeted all of us CPU Candidates?" _Excel asked._

_"Yes, she has." Nepgear said in response._

"Oh man, I hope they all kicked her butt then." _Excel replied._ "That reminds me. I haven't actually met the other Candidates yet. I should introduce myself sometime." _Excel added, rambling again._

"Again, I am Cave, member of the Regal Regiment of Defense for the Leanbox Special Missions Team." _Cave announced._

"I know who you are." _Excel said in confusion._

"Yes, but they do not. Not that well, at least." _Cave responded._

"Member of the RRoD, huh...?" _Nepgear asked._

"Whoa, doesn't that sound cool?" _Red said._ "It sounds like some kind of special task force!"

"It is! It's really cool too!" _Excel replied._

"If only." _Cave replied._ "As shorthanded as we are, all we can do is slow the corruption and decay of Leanbox."

"She's also a friend of me and Vert." _Excel added._

"Yes." _Cave said._ "Anyway, I reintroduced myself because I wanted to ask a fromal request. Could you lend us your aid?"

"Like, first aid?" _Compa asked._

"In a sense." _Cave replied._ "I was hoping to use both your experience and, pardon my phrasing, the figurehead of a CPU. Our team is at a limit for what we can accomplish alone. Matters are growing more dire. We must locate the source of our woes. Although the method to do so eludes us."

"Understood. We'll help!" _Nepgear said happily._

"Yes! See, this is why you're so awesome!" _Excel said in response._

"Before we just say yes to every single person's request, let's see what they need us to do, okay?" _IF said in an annoyed tone._

"But the people of Leanbox really need our help... We can't leave them alone..." _Nepgear said sadly._

"You remind me of a certain stubborn girl I know." _IF said, smiling, referring to Neptune._ "I guess we need to gather shares too, so...all right."

"Speaking of which, I should try and get more shares for Leanbox." _Excel said. _"But not in a violent way, like go after the other nations. Maybe I could do something else to get shares."

"My thanks." _Cave said thankfully._ "I will accompany you for the time being. Once we have a plan, I will seek your aid again.

"Got it." _Nepgear responded happily._

_After this, the group left the concert, and returned to the streets of Leanbox, now accompanied by Excel and Cave._

**I'm gonna end this part here for now. Let me know what you think. I hope to continue this to at least the part where the Candidates save their sisters. Also, this fanfic was not only based on ideas I had for Vert's little brother, but also another similar fanfic created by snakebit1995, who also named his OC Excel. Other than that, my version of him is much different from his version.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Nepgear's party had just left 5pb's concert, now with Excel and Cave in towe too. After some time of walking, Red asked Cave a question._

"So I was wondering... You were at that idol's concert. Are you her fan or something?" _She asked._

"I hope so." _Excel said. _"I don't know anyone who doesn't like 5pb. And that includes you girls.

"It is part of my mission." _Cave answered. _"My task was to act as her security force to during her performance."

"Celebrity bodyguard duty doesn't sound like a special task force's job at all, nyu." _Broccoli said._

"Well, the idol, stage name 5pb, is an outspoken member of our cause." _Cave replied. _"Her songs raise morale and open the eyes of those blinded by the eyes of ASIC. Thus, she is always targeted. Due to the threats against her life, we are constantly deployed to act as her security detail."

"To be honest, all that stuff I didn't know about. Like, at all."_ Excel admitted._

_"_Goodness, I suppose there are a lot of ways to fight oppression." _Nepgear added._

"I hope to see the day where she can sing, not for a cause, but because she loves to perform." _Cave said. _"For that to occur, order must be restored to Leanbox as soon as possible." _Red stated._

"I'm with you there!" _Excel said in agreement. _"I'm the only CPU in charge right now, and all this ASIC stuff is really sorta bumming me out."

"Speaking of which..." _Nepgear said._ "Excel, do you know if Miss Chika's back at the basilicom yet?"

"Wait, you want my help?" _Excel asked excitedly._

"Of course!" _Nepgear said happily. _"Since you're the CPU Candidate, surely you can help us in finding out what's wrong with your Oracle."

"Awesome! Hell yeah I'll help you out! Anything for you, Nepgear! You're the boss after all! I look up to you!" _Excel excitedly rambled._

"Uh... We should probably get going to find this Oracle." _IF said, confused by Excel's enthusiasm._

"Oh yeah, right!"_ Excel said. _"This way, peeps!"

_Nepgear and her friends followed Excel back to the basilicom, where Chika was already there._

"Yuck. I gotta spend my day in this disguise again..." _She lamented. _"I hate this kind of crap..."

"Hello? Is Miss Chika here?" _Nepgear asked, entering the basilicom, following Excel while being followed by the other girls._

"Crap!" _Chika said, realizing she had to act the part again. _"Er, uh... A-Ahem... Yes, I'm right over here."

"Good, about time." IF said. "We haven't been able to find you since beating up that monster. Thought you ran away."

"Wh-Wh-What?" Chika asked, shocked. "Me, r-run away? I would never..."

"She's got a point, Chika. Also, I was in here earlier and couldn't find you." _Excel added. _"I mean, you never leave this place. You practically live here."

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about..." _Chika said defensively._

"Oh right."_ Red said, realizing something. _"You said you'd tell us about the mascot once we got back. So how was it?"

"Did you guys ask about the mascot? Huh, I honestly forgot about that."_ Excel said. _"Must have been too much dialogue. Or maybe been before I met you guys, I dunno."

"Ohhhhhhhh, right..." _Chika said. _"Well, we're investigating it right now, and...uh..."

"Wait, hold up, something ain't right here..." _Excel said, realizing something was up._

"Huh? W-What are you babbling on about?" _Chika asked. _

"Do any of you believe this stuff?"_ Excel asked the group._ "I mean, did she seriously trick all you guys before?"

"Ugh. I'm really ashamed of myself right now." IF said embarrassed.

"Wait, I got an idea. Sorta reverse psychology. Follow my lead." _Excel declared. _"Oh man, I really hope this impresses Nepgear..."

_He walked up to Chika and addressed her._

"Oops, my mistake. I did meet with you a while back, didn't I, Chika?" _Excel asked._

"Oh, what? Really?"_ Chika asked in response. _"Man, I've been getting sick with amnesia or something..."

"I don't blame you, chief." _Excel responded. _"I mean, who'd wanna remember getting beaten up for trying to disrupt a 5pb concert?"

"Like hell I'd ever forget that!" Chika said angrily. "The embarrassment of getting pummeled by you brats was-"

"Aha! Caught you!" _Excel exclaimed._

_Realizing her cover had been blown, Chika, or should I say, Underling, gasped, knowing full-well her cover she was busted._

"Is that you, Miss Underling?" _Compa asked._

"That's so amazing, Excel!" _Nepgear said happily. _"How did you break her down?"

"Thank you, Nepgear! I've always wanted to impress you!"_ Excel said cheerfully. _"Also, I thought she wasn't Chika because of the stuff she was saying. And again, she allowed worship of Arfoire. I mean, I may be a bit of an idiot, but I'm not stupid."

"I failed to see through her..."_ IF lamented. _"Good-bye, my hard-earned credentials."

"Dammit! You managed to see through my disguise!" _Underling said, now with her normal voice, but retaining Chika's appearance. _"But it proves that a lot of you are dumb as rocks!"

"If you are an impostor, then where is the real Chika? Answer me!" _Cave demanded._

"Actually, that's a good point... Hey, you kidnapped my Oracle, you douchebag!" _Excel whined._

"Like hell I'm answering you!" _Underling retorted. _"I got all I needed from this place, so I'm outta here. Later, idiots!"

"Wait!" _Red shouted. But it was too little, too late, as Underling had escaped...again._

"We must give Chase." _Cave declared. _"I need to extract Chika's location from her, at all costs."

"Yeah! And I need my Oracle back!" _Excel added._

"Yes. That too." _Cave responded._

"Agreed! Get back here!" _Nepgear said angrily, chasing after Underling along with the others._

_Eventually, they tracked her down to a nearby dungeon. Underling, was seen panting, seemingly out of breath. She was also back in her normal form._

"So tired..."_ She said. _"But I think I put enough distance between us, so..."

"WAIT!"_ Suddenly, Red's voice was heard calling out to her, getting Underling's attention._

"Whoa! That's the most persistent broad of the bunch..."_ Underling said. _"I gotta find something useful, fast..."

_The others all found their way to the dungeon, but Underling was nowhere to be seen._

"I don't see Underling. Where did she go, nyu?" Broccoli asked.

"This is a one-way path, so I doubt we would've missed her." IF said.

"Be careful!" _Cave warned. _"Something is over there."

Suddenly, a herd of dogoos appeared, ready to battle the party.

"What the goodness!? A herd of dogoos!?" _Nepgear asked in shock._

"Look at all the Mister Dogoos..." _Compa said. _"They're on the floor, the walls, and even the dungeon's ceiling."

"Oh, great." _IF lamented. _"They aren't strong, but this many is going to be nothing but trouble."

"No way, man." _Excel said in disagreement. _"You said it yourself, they're pushovers. Plus, you got Nepgear on your team. She could take out a thousand dogoos at once." _He continued, sucking up to Nepgear yet again._

"Uh-oh! They're coming right for us!" _Red said worriedly as the dogoos approached the team._

"No, please stay back...!" _Nepgear said fearfully, as the dogoos approached some more._

_Eventually, the dogoos began attacking the girls. Excel was the only one who wasn't attacked, and yet he didn't bother to help out._

"Wh-What do these slimeballs think they're doi-"_ IF said, until the dogoos attacked her. _"Yikes! Hey, don't crawl on those!"

"Icky, yucky, ewwy!"_ Compa whined. _"They're so slimy and slippery... My cute outfit is covered in goo!"

"Ahahahaha! S-Stop tickling me!"_ Red laughed. _"Hahahaha, that's for wifeys only!"

"I taste very sour. I don't recommend eating me, nyu."_ Broccoli said._

"Tch! Such perverse oppurtunists...!"_ Cave said. _"I hate experiencing such levels of embarrassment in front of others..."

"This is so wrong, dude..."_ Excel said disgusted. _"Good thing these slimy things aren't touching me. Must be only interested in girls."

"S-Stoppit, that's my ticklish spot!"_ Nepgear whined. _"Huh...? N-No, bad dogoo! Don't you dare try to wiggle there!"

"Tch... Damn you all..." _IF said angrily. _"My dragon eye will doom you all back to oblivion!"

"Uh-oh." _Compa said, noticing IF's anger. _"Iffy just snapped back into her childhood delusions something fierce..."

"I...I said stop...!" _Nepgear pleaded. _"Please, I can't... I can't take this anymore..."

_Thankfully, IF released all the other girls from the dogoos' clutches._

"Stop letting yourselves sound like perverts and help us kill these stupid things!" _IF demanded._

"I think I'm not gonna hang back and let you girls deal with these. I've never fought before..." _Excel admitted._

"Suit yourself. That just leaves more butt kicking for us." _IF replied._

_Following this, all the girls banded together to defeat the dogoos. After the battle ended, Nepgear panted to catch her breath._

"Goodness..." _She said. _"That was really, really embarrassing..."

"Yeah, seemed like it." _Excel said. _"But hey, at least you beat them all up with your awesome powers..."

"I am amazed at the convenience that comes with such a swarm." _Cave said. _"One could do whatever one pleases."

"Aw, nuts." _Red lamented. _"Underling must've gotten away by now."

"If she ran directly here, then this is probably a secret ASIC hideout, nyu." _Broccoli said._

"Wait, are we still in Leanbox?" _Excel asked. _"Because if so, I don't think I like the fact they have a hideout in my own nation."

"Makes sense." _IF replied to Broccoli's statement. _"I'm not going home empty-handed after that nonsense. Let's head further in."

"Yeah, okay." Excel said. "Also, Nepgear was totally awesome in that fight."

"Hehe... T-Thank you." Nepgear giggled at the praise again, before changing her expression from embarrassed to worrysome and curious. "But why didn't you want to help us fight off the dogoos? I remember you saying before that you don't go out and fight alongside Vert. Why is that? You're a CPU. So don't you have a HDD form?"

"Honestly? No."_ Excel answered. _"I mean, I do have a HDD form, but I've never fought before, is what I meant to say. And to be honest, I've never gone HDD before either. I know you and the others can transform and look so cute and awesome, but I'm kinda scared to do that stuff. So... Yeah."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that." _Nepgear said sadly._

"Yeah..." _Excel responded, also in a bit of a sad and ashamed tone, before soon after changing it into a positive, determined and enthusiastic tone. _"Alright, let's go save Chika from wherever the heck that Underling lady took her, yeah?"

"Understood. Let's save Miss Chika!" _Nepgear said, also in a determined tone._

_After this, the 2 CPU Candidates rejoined the rest of Nepgear's group as they ventured deeper within the dungeon. Eventually, the group stopped once more, as Red noticed something in the distance._

"I spy someone trapped over there!" _Red said, pointing to the direction she was facing. Excel and Cave both immediately knew who it was._

"That's Chika!" _Excel and Cave said in unison. They both ran over to the Oracle to see if she was alright._

"Are you alright, Chika?" _Cave asked._

"Oh... Mmm... Cave...?" _Chika responded weakly._

"Chika!" _Excel exclaimed, shedding tears of joy, proceeding to hug the Oracle tightly. _"Oh thank the heavens!"

"Excel...?" _She asked, still weakly._

"Pull yourself together, Excel." _Cave said to Excel, who released the hug he had on Chika, before Cave changed her attention to the Oracle. _"Come with me, Chika. I'll help you escape from here."

"No, don't worry about me..." _Chika said weakly, and somewhat overdramatically. _"The flame of life within me is about to be snuffed out..."

"Come on, Chika, don't be like that." _Excel said, in a somewhat deadpan way._

"Yes... My only regret...is that I was unable to see my darling Vert before my untimely demise..." _She continued, pretty much milking it now._

"Goodness, no! You can't die now!" _Nepgear said worriedly._

"Don't worry, Nepgear!" _Excel said to his hero. _"Chika's just using her pretty convincing talent of BS-ing us right now. It's her greatest power."

"E-Excuse me!? How heartless!" _Chika exclaimed offended. _"I...I am your Oracle, and I really am on the verge of death here... Uh..."

_She fake coughed to prove her point. No one was buying it._

"The verge of death? Really?" _ IF asked. _"Doesn't look that way to me."

"Still, she must be very weak and malnourished." _Compa said. _"We should carry her out to someplace safe and sunny."

"I agree with that." _Excel agreed. _"As the acting CPU of Leanbox, I would like to have Chika taken back to the basilicom, pronto."

"There's no use, I'm telling you..." _Chika acted again._ "I can't move a single finger. Just leave me behind, and-"

"Enough already, or else we really will leave you here to die." _Cave interrupted, possibly having enough of Chika's BS'ing._

"You can be such a party pooper, Cave." _Chika responded, finally stopping the charade._

_The group returned to the basilicom, where Chika addressed the group_

"Sorry about making a scene earlier." _Chika said, as she properly introduced herself to the rest of the girls, while Excel stood next to her. _"I'm Chika Hakozaki, the Oracle of Leanbox. And don't you forget it!"

"Yeah, seriously, don't forget it." _Excel said. _"She is the Oracle of this place, so she's kind of a big deal."

"Her personality did a 180." _IF said in response to Chika's introduction._

"Please ignore it." _Cave said in response. "_This is just...who she is."

_Excel nodded in agreement with Cave's comment. Nepgear then addressed Chika._

"Miss Chika, were you the one who called me here, or was it the fake's doing?" _Nepgear asked._

"It was me." _Chika confessed. _"Excel told me a CPU was gathering shares, and we thought it would benefit us to bring you here. And admittedly, he wouldn't stop asking me until I actually did it."

_Her expression then quickly turned serious._

"But more importantly, you know my darling Vert, right?" Chika asked. "Where is she? What happened? Come on! Speak!"

"Uh, um... C-Could you please try to calm down a little?" _Nepgear asked nervously._ "You're acting a bit creepy..."

"Never mind how YOU feel!" _Chika responded angrily. _"Are you withholding information because you want something from me!?"

"G-Goodness..." _Nepgear said, still nervously._

"Chill out, Chika! I know where Vert is!" _Excel said, doing his best to calm Chika down_. "Big sis is still in the Gamindustri Graveyard with the other CPUs!"

"Yes. That's why we're looking for the Mascots." _Nepgear explained. _"We need their help to save the captive CPUs."

"Don't worry, Nepgear! We'll do you proud!" _Excel said excitedly. _"Chika here knows where the Leanbox Mascot is. Don't you, Chika?"

"Do you doubt my breadth of knowledge and expertise?" _She asked to Excel, before answering Nepgear. _"Of course I...used to...know where it was."

"Did you forget?" _Compa asked._

"Well, right before I was caught by that repulsive ASIC crew, the Mascot was also taken captive." _Chika explained._

"Okay, I swear I didn't know about that at all." _Excel said defensively, hoping that Nepgear wouldn't be disappointed with him, even though he did nothing wrong. _"I don't even know where the Mascot is."

"Do you think they already destroyed it then?" _Red asked. _"Like they did back in Lowee?"

"All Nepgear needs is a fragment for it to be repaired, nyu." _Broccoli said._

"No, that seems unlikely." _Chika disagreed. "Had it been destroyed, we would have seen significant changes around here."_

"We would've?" _Excel asked. _"Like what? We wouldn't been overrun with dogoos, would we?"

"Eek! P-Please don't say dogoos!" _Nepgear whimpered, still remembering the horrors of being attacked by dogoos earlier._

"Sorry. Nepgear!" _Excel said worriedly. _"Please don't hate me!"

"Why would they hold off on destroying it?" _Compa asked Chika._

"What am I, a mind reader?" _Chika asked sarcastically._

"Kinda."_ Excel answered, also sarcastically._

"Quiet, Excel. Don't you be a party pooper too." _Chika pouted. _"Anyway, with how scattered ASIC's priorities are, it's hard to guess their actions. All I can sense is that they have not destroyed it yet. Meaning, we have a chance to recover it."

"Alright! We got a game plan!" _Excel said happily._

_"That's the best news we've heard in a while..." Nepgear added. "We have to find it, and quick."_

"First, we need to find some leads." IF added. "Specifically, we need to find Underling and beat some leads out of her."

"Man, you girls are violent..." _Excel said._

"If she is as fishy as you describe, then she will surely stand out." _Cave said. _"I will gather the information needed to locate her."

"But won't you need any help?" _Nepgear asked._

_"_My thanks, but I will not require assistance."_ Cave said. _"I will inform you as soon as I obtain her whereabouts."

_She left, leaving everyone else alone in the basilicom._

"Are you sure she's gonna be alright?" _Nepgear asked worriedly._

"Oh yeah, definitely." _Excel said assuringly. _"I mean, Cave's a badass special agent. She can take care of herself. Of course, she's nowehre near as badass as you, Nepgear. But she's still pretty badass."

"And yet, she failed to catch Underling back at the concert." _IF said._

"We don't talk about that." _Excel said. He then turned his attention towards Nepgear, with an excited smile on his face. _"Oh yeah, by the way, are you and your buddies staying here, Nepgear?"

"Oh, goodness..." _Nepgear said embarrassed. _"I couldn't possibly do that. I'm not sure if the basilicom will be able to fit five people."

"No way! Anything for you!" _Excel said reassuringly. _"Besides, ever since Vert disappeared, Chika's been sleeping in her room ever since."

"Only I am worthy of sleeping in the bed of my darling Vert!" _Chika said angrily._

"Yeah... So, since her room's free, you can sleep in Chika's room if you want." _Excel offered._

"Are you sure Miss Chika will allow that?" _Compa asked._

"Sure." _Excel said. _"I mean, if she's gonna be sleeping in Vert's room, her own room is free. It's practically a guest room.

"Okay!" _Nepgear said cheerfully, before happily hugging Excel, extrememely grateful for being helped by him, and also for being allowed to stay here. This clearly made him very happy, even though she didn't know it. _"Thank you, Excel!"

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" _Excel said excitedly, fanboying internally on the inside. Eventually, Nepgear released the hug._

"Goodness... Are you okay?" _Nepgear said, once again in a worried tone. _"Your face is flushed."

"Hehe... Sorry." _Excel said awkwardly. "It's just, I've never been hugged by any of my heroes before. Well, except for Vert, but she's also my sister, so I guess there's a difference there."_

"Okay, I understand..." _Nepgear said. _"Anyway, thanks for letting us stay here."

"Don't mention it." _Excel said happily. _"It was an honor working with you, Nepgear. I'll take these lessons on board. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to sleep. Chika will take care of everything. Goodnight, Nepgear!"

"Goodnight!" _Nepgear said politely towards her fanboy as he left._

_With that, Excel went upstairs to go to bed, ready to start tomorrow's adeventure with Nepgear and the others._

**Alright. Next part will involve Excel meeting the other 3 candidates. Thanks to discussions with a friend on Discord, I have a funny idea for Uni and Ram's intitial opinions for Excel. It'll be a surprise until the part is actually uploaded.**


	3. Chapter 3

Oh** hullo! It's been a while since I've stepped into this world. So let's get back into it, bros and sistas.**

_The following morning, Nepgear, Excel and the rest of their party returned to the ASIC hideout they found Chika in before. Once there, the party saw Underling yet again, this time arguing with Warechu._

"There! I found her!" _Said Nepgear, pointing over to Underling._

"Alright, Nepgear!" _Said Excel in an upbeat tone. _"You're so awesome at catching bad guys!" _This caused Nepgear to blush over the praise she was once again receiving._

"We're all really proud of your loud mouth, Underling." _Said IF. _"It makes it so much easier to track you down."

"Dammit! You broads again? How in the hell did you find me in a place like this?!" _Asked the annoyed Underling._

"Oh yeah, about that..." _Excel said. _"We were walking around the city, and I was all like "Hey, has anyone seen a weird looking girl with green hair and a big rat?" And they said you'd be back here, probably cause this is an ASIC base? I dunno, but they said you'd be here."

"Yes." _Cave said, interrupting Excel's rambling in the process. _"It was actually quite easy."

_Meanwhile, Warechu was becoming flustered as he began speaking with Compa._

"Oh, my dear angel, Compa! You come to see me? I am beside myself with sheer ecstasy, chu!" _He said in an enamored tone._

"Mister Mouse, could you please return the Mascot to us?" _Compa asked._

"Yeah, totally! Anything for you. Do you want me to bubble-wrap it, chu?" _Warechu responded, very eager to surrender the mascot to Compa. Unfortunately, he was stopped by Underling before he could do anything._

"This ain't no time to turn on your rat charm, you idiot!" _She snapped att him before turning her attention back to Nepgear's party. _"Do you broads really think we would give in that easily?" _She asked._

"Nope! That's why we're prepared to beat you senseless and take it by force!" _Red declared._

"You have overstayed your welcome in Leanbox." _Declared Cave. _"Prepare yourselves."

"You're the ones who better be prepared...!" _Underling retorted. _"Don't think this will be the same fight as usual!"

"Oh, we're having another fight?" _Excel asked. _"If so, is it cool if I sit this one out too, Nepgear?"

"That's okay, Excel." _Nepgear said reassuringly. _"I don't think this will be a long fight anyway."

_To no one's surprise, it really was the same fight as usual, as Underling and Warechu were easily defeated._

"Dammit... I lost again..." _Said Underling._

"Slapped silly by my angelic Compa...! This is bliss, chu!" _Said Warechu, before he and Underling were knocked out by Nepgear and her party's attack._

"Despite what she said, it really was the same fight as usual." _Joked IF._

"They need to have a better understanding over how weak they are, nyu." _Said Broccoli._

_While they were conversing, Nepgear went to check on the Leanbox Mascot._

"Are you okay?" _She asked worriedly. _"Did they hurt you?"

"I am fine. Thank you." _Replied the Mascot, her voice sounding an awful lot like Green Heart's. _"May I ask who you are?"

"Oh! Hello. I'm Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune, and I need your help to save the world." _Responded Nepgear._

"As acting CPU, I'd recommend doing what she says. She's kind of a big deal." _Excel admitted, sucking up to Nepgear yet again._

"Ge-Ge, that's a bit too much summarizing..." _Compa said._

"No, I understood every bit of information." _Said the Mascot reassuringly. _"Save the world, hmmm?"

"Yes..." _Responded Nepgear._

"Hmm... I might take you up on this offer." _Said the Mascot._

"Oh, cool!" _Said a delighted Excel. _"So you're cool with Nepgear taking you outta here to do whatever needs to be done to save the world, right? You're cool with that, right?"

"Hold." _Cave interrupted. _"Status dictates we must have Chika's approval first."

"What? But why? I'm an authority figure here too, ain't I?" _Excel asked in confusion. _"I mean, I'm the CPU in change here. So shouldn't I make decisions for that sorta stuff?"

"Perhaps. But I believe we must also consult the Oracle before we take the Mascot with us." _Cave responded._ "Therefore, we must return to the basilicom and speak with Chika immediately."

"Understood." _Nepgear agreed._

"And additionally, you do not really make decisions for the nation anyway." _Cave added. Excel looked hurt._

_With this, the party began to leave the hideout before noticing the still unconscious Underling and Warechu. _

"Ohh... What should we do about those two?" _Nepgear asked._

"I say we leave them." _IF answered. _"Besides, they're only gonna get back up and run away eventually."

_Everyone agreed, and continued their exit from the dungeon, finding their way back at the basilicom, where Chika was waiting, along with 5pb._

"Oh. It looks like you were able to save the Mascot, after all." _Chika noticed._

"Yes..." _Nepgear responded. _We were hoping to take it with u-"

"Yeah, sure." _Chika agreed._

"Told you it wouldn't take long." _Excel said to Cave._

"Huh? Is it really okay?" _Asked Compa._

"Hang on. You're not another impostor, are you?" _Asked a suspicious IF._

"No." Answered Chika. "But I do have one request. You must save my darling Vert post-haste."

"Yes, we plan to." _Replied a determined Nepgear. _"We won't rest until we save everyone."

"So inspiring..." _Said Excel dreamily._

"But Miss Chika, will Leanbox be safe without the Mascot's protection?" _Asked a somewhat concerned Compa._

"It's just for a little while, no? I can handle things here while you rescue my darling Vert." _Chika answered. _"It's all about my priorities. And my dearest sister is top of the top!"

"Chika's not Vert's sister, just so you know." _Excel told the group. _"She just says she is for some weird reason."

"O-Okay. If it's okay with you..." _Nepgear said._

"If the Oracle says so, then there is no need to continue discussing my departure." _Replied the Mascot. _"I desire to join you myself."

"Thank you very much!" _Said Nepgear happily._

"I'd like to go with you too..." _Excel mumbled to himself, not being noticed by anyone due his quietness._

"Oh! That reminds me!" _Chika said. _"As you can see, 5pb has come to see me too."

_5pb was seen hiding behind Chika, shyly waving to the others._

"H-Hi..." _She shyly said._

"OMG, 5pb's here too?! I didn't even notice her! What's up, dude?" _Excel said, greeting the idol happily._

"I-I'm fine..." _She responded. _"Chika wanted me to come and visit her for something important."

"Something important? What is it?" _Nepgear asked curiously._

"Ah, yes! Better inform all of you too, especially Excel, since I haven't informed him of my plan yet." _Chika said._

"What'd you do?" _Excel asked in a joking manner._

"ASIC activity had been spreading while I was held captive. We must take drastic action to prevent this."

"O-Okay... But what does this have to do with 5pb?" _Nepgear asked._

"I need her for my plan to work." _Chika declared. _"We're going to have a giant concert with her as the headliner."

_Everyone seemed on board with the idea. Excel then thought of an idea, a huge grin spreading on his face._

"Hey Chika, this really cool concert you have cooked up sounds awesome and all, but as acting CPU, is it cool if I invite some guests to the concert?" _Excel asked._

"I guess, if that's what you want." _Chika answered._

"YES!" _Excel screamed excitedly, cheering like a fangirl and running out of the room while laughing enthusiasticly. This outburst confused and surprised everyone in the room, except for Chika and Cave._

"What's his problem?" _Asked IF, who was confused by Excel's freak-out. _"He just acted as if he just won the lottery."

"Goodness... Excel seems really excited over whoever his guests are." _Nepgear said. She was also surprised by Excel's reaction to being allowed to invite his guests to the concert. Knowing how much of a fanatic he is of her, she had a sneaking suspicion she knew who these guests were._

_Later on, the party arrived at the concert, and Nepgear noticed the gigantic amount of people at the concert._

"Goodness, look at that crowd..." _Nepgear said in amazement._

"Yeah, I know, right?" _Excel said in agreement. _"There's so many people here, it's like the entire population of Gamindustri is out here... Which would actually be really awesome if you think about it."

"After seeing this many people, I get what Chika was going for." _IF said. _"This could really fix the Leanbox situation in one go."

"It made perfect sense to me!"_ Red added. _"After all, this is a concert for my wifey candidate!"

_After this, 5pb appeared to greet the group._

"Hello, everyone!" _She said. _"I'm glad you all made it."

"Hello, Miss 5pb." _Compa responded. _"Thank you for inviting us."

"Yeah, dude. I wouldn't miss this concert for the world." _Excel said. _"But, uh, did the guests I invited turn up? They returned my calls, right?"

"Why don't you go ask them yourself. Your special guests are over there, nyu."

_Broccoli answered Excel's question, pointing Excel to where the other guests were, revealing Uni, the CPU Candidate of Lastation, and Rom and Ram, the CPU Candidates pf Lowee. Excel immediately squeed over getting to meet them._

"It's not like I wanted to come to this concert or anything." _Uni muttered._

"Our first concert..." _Rom said in an excited but quiet tone. _"I'm so excited... Aren't you, Ram...?"

"Duh! We're gonna brag all about this to Mina when we go home!" _Ram answered. Soon after, a very excited Excel walked up to the three girls, being followed by Nepgear._

"Oh, man!" _Excel said excitedly. _"You girls actually came to the concert?! This is so exciting! It's so cool to finally meet you guys!"

"Uh... Who are you?" _Ram asked in a confused tone. Uni was also confused, and Rom had a shy look on her face._

"Oh, right! I'm uh, Excel. CPU Candidate of Leanbox." _Excel responded. _"It's an absolute honor to meet you all!"

"Did you invite us to see this concert? Not that I care or anything." _Uni asked._

"Yes, he did." _Nepgear answered for Excel. _"H-He really wanted to meet all of you."

"Miss Nepgear's here too..." _Rom said, happy to see Nepgear._

"You know Nepgear?" _Uni asked._

"Yeah! She came here with a bunch of other girls to help us out with some stuff going on with my Oracle Chika. Then, she heped out with getting our Mascot, who kinda sounds like Vert when she goes HDD. And then Chika was all like "Let's have a really cool concert." And that gave me the idea to bring you all here. And here we are." _Excel answered, rambling in the process._

"You like to talk a lot..." _Rom said, noticing the male CPU's habit of rambling a lot._

"Yes. That's just who Excel is, apparently..." _Nepgear replied._

"He sounds like a weirdo." _Ram said. Excel wasn't offended at all. In fact, he was honored._

"Thank you, Ram..." _He said happily. _"I'm so honored to have you talk to me."

"Eh?" _Ram responded in confusion. Did he not know she was insulting him?_

"I think he's nice..." _Rom said, with a small smile on her face. It seemed that unlike Ram, she actually liked Excel, and didn't mind him sucking up to her._

"Whatever." _Uni coldly remarked, looking away from Excel. _"It's not like I'm okay with meeting a fan of mine."

"Oh man, I love tsunderes!" _Excel said, giving Uni a hug. She didn't push him off or anything, but she was confused._

_Nepgear giggled, finding Excel's mannerisms actually rather endearing. After this, 5pb approached the Candidates._

"Oh! Are these three CPU Candidates too?" _She asked. They all nodded. _"All five CPU Candidates are here? This is so exciting... I hope you will all enjoy my song."

"I will! Anything for you!" _Excel responded cheerfully._

"The stage is all yours, 5pb." _Cave said._

"Oh, whoops! I forgot that I'm the opening act. I'll see you all later, okay?" _Said the idol, as she proceeded to leave and get ready to perf_orm.

"She must be really pumped about this concert, huh?" _Nepgear said._

"Makes you wonder where she hides that shy nature of hers." _IF said in response._

"She's more enthusiastic about this particular concert." _Cave said. _"My heart is pounding with excitement."

_On stage, 5pb addressed the audience._

"Hi, everyone! How are we doing so far?!" _She asked. Her answer soon came in the form of various audience members cheering for her._

"That makes me so happy!" _Said the idol, grateful for the love. _"But before I sing my next song, I'm gonna need everyone to promise something."

"I'm able to put on songs and concerts because of the CPUs watching over us all." _She continued. _"If you really love me and my music, you'll love the CPUs too, right? Don't be fooled by anyone else!"

_And with that, the audience erupted in cheers, fully supporting 5pb and her message._

"Goodness... The stadium is shaking with their cheers..." _Nepgear said._

"That's my wifey!" _Red exclaimed._

"I think this plan is gonna be a big, happy success!" _Compa added._

_Elsewhere, Chika was seen talking with Excel about the performance._

"Oh man, this plan might actually work." _Excel said enthusiasticly. _"Not only is the crowd fully on board, but Uni, Rom and Ram are here too! This is a good day!"

"Just as planned." _Chika boasted. _"But the best is still to come. This next plan will put a stop to ASIC's plans for good."

"What is it?" _Excel asked._

"You'll see..." _Chika answered._

"Okay, that's enough from me!" _5pb announced. _"Now let's give a warm welcome to Leanbox's sexy boy band... Juniper!"

_It was at this point that the audience's cheers died down into confusion, and then silence. After a while, Excel spoke up._

"Aw, man..." _That was all he could say. He knew what was about to happen. The entire audience booed disapprovingly, before Excel turned to Chika exasperatedly._

"What did you do, Chika!?" _He exclaimed. _"Don't you know that no one listens to boy bands anymore!? They've been outta focus since the 90's!"

"M-My plan failed...? What could have possibly gone wrong? Idols are all the rage." _Chika asked._

"Yeah, girl idols! Not guy idols! _Excel responded. _"Why else are idols super popular with a lot of otakus, myself included?"

"Eek! P-Please don't push..." _Nepgear whimpered. _"I-If we don't do anything soon, they might riot at this rate..."

"This is dire." _Cave agreed. _"If the situation isn't resolved soon, there may very well be a riot."

"W-What should we do? Hmm..." _Nepgear said, thinking for a moment, before coming up with an idea. _"Wait! I have an idea. Uni, Rom, Ram... Listen to this."

"What?" _Ram asked, curious on what the idea was._

"I wanna help Miss Nepgear..." _Rom said, fully on board with Nepgear's idea, despite not knowing what the idea was._

"This better not be a waste of my time." _Uni muttered._

"Yeah, let's do it! What idea do you have? I'm with you girls all the way!" _Excel said, eager to know what the idea was. He had also joined the other Candidates in discussing this idea, despite not being called over._

"Um... S-Sorry, Excel. But we're not going to need you for this idea." _Nepgear said politely. _"This is kind of a girls-only idea."

"Oh... Okay." _Excel said, somewhat disappointed, but also eager to know what the idea was. _"I mean, I'll admit, I'm a little bummed out I can't help, but if you've got a cool idea going on, I'm all for it! As acting CPU, I'm so allowing this!"

_With Excel's approval, the girls proceeded to get onto the stage, They introduced themselves, and the audience seemed to really like them. They then sung an amazing song, which got the entire audience cheering for them in the end, the amazied audience finding the four female Candidates so moe. After the song, they returned to Excel._

"That was AWESOME!" _Excel cheered. _"You girls are so cool! I knew you were all badass CPUs, but I didn't know you could sing too!"

"Y-You really think so...?" _Nepgear said, somewhat embarrassed._

"It's not like I was trying to impress anyone."_ Uni mumbled. _"Especially not you."

"Of course they loved us!" _Ram said. _"We're totally awesome CPUs, after all!"

"Yeah..." _Rom added._

"See? The crowd loved you!" _Chika said as everyone went back to the basilicom. _"My plan was a success."

"Hey, don't steal credit from Nepgear, dude." _Excel said. He then took out his phone, showing the girls his Chirper. _"Speaking of which... You're trendiiiiiing!"

"I'm so embarrassed. Never make me do that again." _Uni grumbled. _"But at least I got some shares out of it, so with that, I'm going back to Lastation."

"We should go back too, Rom." _Ram said. _"Mina's gonna be so proud, she'll buy us new games for sure!"

"Uh-huh..." _Rom agreed._

"Aw... You're all leaving?" _Nepgear asked, disappointed._

"Well, I'm already home, so... Yeah." _Excel said, before turning to the other Candidates. _"Oh, and uh, thanks for coming to the concert, guys! It was an honour to meet you all! Hope we get to hang out more!"

"Stop rambling." _Uni said. _"It's not that I want to hang out with you, I just have better things to do." _And with that, she left._

"Bye-bye, Miss Nepgear..." _Rom said to Nepgear, before turning to Excel. _"And Mr. Excel..."

"Don't say bye to them, stupid Rom. We're leaving." _Ram said, dragging Rom away."_

"She called me Mr. Excel!" _Squeed Excel, excited over being called that by one of his heroes._

"And they're gone again..." _Nepgear said sadly._

"Don't worry, Ge-Ge. We'll see them again, I know it!" _Compa said reassuringly._

"It appears that the result of this concert has greatly decreased ASIC's shares." _Cave said, analysing the status of the nation's shares._

"Wait, when'd they get shares?" _Excel questioned. _"They're not even a nation, so how does that work?"

"It's no concern of mine." _Chika said. _"Once my darling Vert has been rescued, their shares will all come flooding to us!" _She then focused on Nepgear's group. _"So what are you planning now?"

"We have the power of all four Mascots, so we're going to go back to Planeptune to figure out our next plan of attack." _IF told the Oracle._

"Just leave everything to us." _Nepgear said reassuringly. _"I'll get our sisters back. Whatever it takes."

"Yeah, about that..." _Excel said._

"Hm?" _Nepgear said in response._

"Well, the thing is, do you remember earlier when you was like "We won't rest until we save everyone"? Cause I was thinking. You can't really do this stuff alone, and I also really wanna see Vert again, so can I come with you?" _Excel offered._

"Wait, are you sure?" _Nepgear asked. _"Will Leanbox be safe without you in it?"

"Oh, sure! I mean, they'll still have Chika here, so why not?" _Excel responded. _"Besides, it's not every day you get to team up with your hero, am I right? Maybe you could give me some advice?"

"If it's what Excel wants, I can't stop him." _Chika said. _"Besides, he wants to save my darling Vert, so I will fully respect his wishes to save our dear sister!"

"Alright!" _Excel said, excited to be adventuring with Nepgear. _"So when are we going?" _He asked her._

"WAIT!" _Said the voice of 5pb, who had just arrived to the basilicom._

"Miss 5pb? What are you doing here?" _Compa asked._

"Oh, good, I made it. I thought you would leave before I caught up." _She said, relieved, panting. _"That concert was amazing! So inspiring!"

"Oh no... We were terrible compared to you." _Nepgear responded embarrassed._

"No way, you're one of the coolest people ever!" _Excel said happily._

"He's right." _The idol said in agreement. _"I was no help in calming that crowd... And I don't want that to happen again, so... Please let me come with you."

"Wait, you wanna come too?" _Excel asked in surprise._

"I want to sing for everyone, not just Leanbox." _She continued. _"So please..."

"Of course, you're more than welcome!" _Nepgear said sweetly._

"Awesome! I wasn't expecting that!" _Excel said, pleased by this turn of events._

"Well, I hate to rush you, but if we're going back to Planeptune, we have a boat to catch." _IF mentioned._

"Ooh, nice!" _Excel said before turning to Chika. _"I'll be back, chief! And I'll be back with Vert! It'll be awesome!"

"Yes, Chika. We will do our best to retrieve Vert." _Cave agreed, following Excel and the others. _"Do your best to manage things properly while we are gone."

"Wait, you're coming too, Cave?" _Excel asked._ "This ain't about protecting 5pb, is it?"

"It is. And additionally, you may also need protection, as you have no fighting experience. Someone must look out for you."

"Oh, cool!" _Excel said. _"At least I get to team up with Nepgear, right?" _He ran up to her, joining her at the front of the group. _"Hey, you don't mind 5pb AND Cave joining us, right?"

"I don't mind! The more, the merrier!" _Nepgear said sweetly._

"That's awesome! I'm so excited to fight with you, Nepgear!" _Excel said excitedly, hugging Nepgear, who politely returned the hug. And the two CPU Candidates left Leanbox as they continued their journey, accompaniec by their many allies._

**Finally, it's over. Man, I've missed doing this fanfic. I really hope you peeps enjoyed this part. I'm looking to keep it going until we save the sisters at least, and maybe even more. Until then, take care.**


End file.
